Poverty in the EU

Date of publication: 29 07 2017, 14:55

First appeared at EuroNews

Europe’s economic downturn seems to be behind us. Gone are the days of negative growth rates. Unemployment is still relatively high, but stabilising. So it may come as a surprise to discover that poverty is not declining. This means that close to one in four Europeans experience at least one or more of the following conditions: income poverty, severe material deprivation and/or social exclusion.

In 2015, more than a third of the population was at risk of poverty or social exclusion in three member states: Bulgaria (41.3%), Romania (37.4%) and Greece (35.7%). At the opposite end of the scale, the lowest shares of persons being at risk of poverty or social exclusion were recorded in the Czech Republic (14%) and Sweden (16%).

On average, children are more adversely affected than adults or elderly people with a whopping 27% living in poor households across Europe. Child poverty happens in rich countries too: France, Germany or the UK are not spared.

Why is poverty on the rise in Europe? Our reporters Valerie Gauriat and Hans Von der Brelie travel to Spain and Germany to try to get some answers. And Insiders’ Sophie Claudet we speaks to the OECD’s head of social policy, Monika Queisser, to find out more.